Fondazione Accademia di Musica di Pinerolo e Torino

Il Postgraduate Specialist Course in Opera Singing – 3rd level  university degree, is the only course of its kind in the world of advanced music training in Italy. The aim of the course is to enable the student to begin or to consolidate a career performing or teaching opera singing. The final degree is officially recognised by the MUR – Ministry of Universities and Research, with a value of 3 points in applications for public teaching positions.

DURATION AND VENUE

The 2-year study plan is organized in a cycle of monthly meetings, each lasting 3-4 days, distributed between November and June in Turin, with the addition of an intensive internship in Modena at the Luciano Pavarotti House Museum during the summer.

SINGING LESSONS

• Marcelo Àlvarez, tenor
• Fiorenza Cedolins, soprano
• Ambrogio Maestri, baritone
• Giulio Laguzzi | Sandro Zanchi | Silvia Magagni, accompanying pianists

COMMON LESSONS:

• Stagecraft, movement and diction workshop: Laura Cosso
• History and analysis of repertoire: Internationally renowned musicologists
• Laws
• Agents and professional opera business: Alessandro Ariosi / Ariosi Management, Laura Claycomb, Saverio Clemente / INART and other important agencies

INTERNSHIP
The intensive internship takes place in the summer in Modena at the Luciano Pavarotti Home Museum.

• The first year of the internship will culminate in a performance/concert which is included in the concert season of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation.
• The second year of the course is intended to give students the specific skills needed for this profession, developing the individual talents of each student, and strongly supporting them as they make their operatic debut.

ARTISTIC COMMITTEE

DOWNLOAD THE STUDY PROGRAMME >>

The calendar of lessons will be provided after the class has been formed, following the entrance exams. Attendance at 80% of scheduled lessons is mandatory. The School Management reserves the right to change the study calendar due to force majeure.

For admission to the course, students must have completed a second level (Master’s) academic degree issued by the Higher Institutes of Musical Studies (Conservatoires and former Certified Music Institutes) or by institutions authorised to issue Advanced Studies in Art, Music and Dance qualifications (as per Italian law, art. 11 Presidential Decree 8 July 2005, no. 212). Applications from candidates with certification or a qualification from another country that is legally recognised as equivalent will also be considered for selection.

Foreign students must provide proof of Italian language proficiency at level B2. Students who do not yet meet this requirement must obtain the certificate by the end of the first academic year.

Students who complete the Specialist courses will be awarded a qualification recognised by the MIUR (Ministry for Education, Universities and Research) as being equivalent to that awarded by other schools offering Specialist degrees in music (Scuola di Specializzazione in Beni Musicali Strumentali).

Each student must be equipped with a webcam with microphone and an internet connection, in case it is necessary to hold lessons remotely.

For further information, consult the School Regulations.

To apply for an audition, you must complete the application form at the bottom of this page, attaching:

• identification document (front/back image in jpg or pdf);
• your CV/resumé (doc or pdf, conversational, 10/15 lines);
• receipt of payment of the application fee (jpg or pdf);
• link to the video (see “Entrance exam” below);
• signed privacy consent form;
• signed image release consent form;
• a high resolution photograph (300 dpi), preferably in a concert context (head shot);
• copy of the School Regulations, signed for acceptance.

The application, complete with all documentation, must be submitted by 5/10/2025 using the form below. Where applicants meet the requirements equally, selection will be made on the basis of the date of submission of their applications.

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The selection of students to be admitted to the course will take place in two stages.

STAGE 1:

evaluation of the candidates’ CVs/resumés, which must be accompanied by a video lasting a maximum of 10 minutes (free programme). The video must be sent via a link that connects to an online storage or sharing platform (e.g. Youtube, Google Drive, Vimeo…). The results of the first selection phase will be communicated to candidates via email.

STAGE 2:

Candidates who are admitted to the second selection phase will receive notification by 10/10/25 and must attend an in-person audition at the end of October in Pinerolo, according to a calendar that will be communicated later. Repertoire:

• 6 opera arias, 4 of which in Italian;
• one piece from the chamber music repertoire;
• one piece from the sacred repertoire.

Candidates admitted to the second stage of selection must take an audition in which they are required to give a live performance of the pieces they played in the video (from a minimum of 10 minutes to a maximum of 20). The auditions will take place at one of the Accademia’s venues. Admitted candidates are required to:

• Submit, at least 10 days prior to the audition, the program they intend to perform by sending it to specializzazione@accademiadimusica.it.
• Provide the examination panel with printed copies of the musical scores to be performed during the audition, as well as two signed copies of the program.

• At the beginning of the two-year program, an orientation and motivational interview;
• At the conclusion of the two-year program, a final examination, for which candidates must submit a written paper of approximately 20 pages, to be delivered to the examination panel in two printed copies. The topic of the paper must be agreed upon with the instructors of the relevant course. The digital file of the paper must be sent to specializzazione@accademiadimusica.it at least 20 days before the examination date. Candidates must also provide printed copies of the musical scores that will be performed during the final examination.

A) REGISTRATION FEE FOR AUDITIONS:

Before applying, you must pay the registration fee of €100, which is non-refundable. The receipt  payment must be attached when you send your application. Bank transfers must be made payable to:

B) TUITION FEES:
ANNUAL FEE: €6,500
The annual fee for tuition should be €8,500, but thanks to the commitment of the Accademia di Musica Foundation, which has established scholarships of €2,000 each for all students admitted to the two-year course, the annual fee payable is only €6,500. The Academy is untiring in searching for other scholarships: the financial value of these scholarships will be depend on the resources made available by companies, forms, public and private institutions, or by individual donors and bequests.

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For any further information you may need and for the Accademia regulations:

specializzazione@accademiadimusica.it